Osun Lockdown: FG Technical Team Advocates Ease Movement Of Agricultural Products

The Federal Government Joint Technical Task Team on Emergency Response to Covid 19 on the Movement of Food Items and Agricultural inputs has appealed to security agencies to allow ease movement of agricultural products in the state, as the state government announced total lockdown in some parts of the state.

The team asserted that the economic implications of the pandemic might be severed if the country experiences scarcity of food if there is perpetual restriction of agriculture products.

The Secretary of the Committee in the State, Eng. Sunday Atoyebi made this known while addressing journalists during the state monitoring of boundaries and security duty posts in the affected local government areas in the state, including Ondo and Ekiti state boundaries.

The technical team is chaired by the state Commissioner of Police, Undie Adie, alongside the State Commandant of Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps(NSCDC), the representatives of All Farmers Association of Nigeria (AFAN), National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW), State Ministry of Agriculture, and Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) as members.

Recall that the Osun state government during the week announced total lockdown of Ilesa East, Ilesa West, Atakunmosa East and Atakunmosa West as a result of rising cases of Covid 19 in the areas to prevent bloating community transmission.

Atoyebi , a Director in the Federal Ministry of Agriculture, in company of detachment of police and NSDC personnel commended security agents for their dedication and commitment in the fight aginst the spread of Covid 19, as he urged them to continue exercising their discretion appropriately by ensuring the smooth movement of perishable food items and other agircultural products to prevent food insecurity.

According to him, the country is now in farming season in preparation for the coming year harvests and all stakeholders must collaborate in ensuring massive food production to cushion the effect of pandemic that has badly affected the country’s economy.

He said:” What we are doing today with the approval of the state Commissioner of Police is in continuation of our mandate to monitor boundaries and security duty posts inorder to guarantee effective and unhindered movement of food items, farm implements, seeds, chemicals, livestocks among other agricultural inputs to ensure food security during pandemic.

” As we all aware that the state has declared another lockdown in the four local governments which are agrarian communities, we are duty bound to sensitise the security agents about the importance of movement of agriculture products and seek their understanding about the exception in the lockdown guildlines for the people of the state and not to suffer from hunger.”

He, however charged farmers and the people of the state to explore the opportunity of waiver to embark on massive farming to make Nigeria sufficient in food production as one of the best alternative to mitigate the effect of ravaging Covid 19 across country.